Laura Wright, Extended Maternity Leave, Baroness Doreen Lawrence

Published: May 23, 2020, 4 p.m.

The soprano Laura Wright tells us about her new single released with The Choir of Royal Holloway, University of London to mark Mental Health Awareness week. Baroness Doreen Lawrence discusses why the Labour Party are conducting its own enquiry into why people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are more than four times more likely to die as a result of Covid-19 than their white counterparts. Two twenty-somethingsJackie Adedeji and Erin Bradshaw tell us how life has changed for them since the pandemic began. The author Glennon Doyle tells us about her book untamed which explains why we should all listen to and trust the voice deep inside us. Should maternity leave be extended because of the lockdown? The parents of a 6 month old have had more than 200 thousand signatures to a petition asking the government to extend it by three months. We hear from James one of the parents who started the petition and from Cheryl Adams the Executive director of the Institute of Health Visiting on the difficulties faced by new parents at this time. Professor Marion Turner an expert on medieval England tells us why The Plague led to increased wages, greater employment, more migration to towns and, ultimately, to greater independence for women. What makes someone want to go to see the same musical at the theatre time and time again? We hear from documentary maker Mark Dooley about his film, Repeat Attenders – which follows some of musical theatre’s superfans – including Gudrun Mangel a huge fan of Starlight Express. Presenter: Jenni Murray Producer: Rabeka Nurmahomed Editor: Lucinda Montefiore